An obese cat who made headlines after tipping scales at 39 pounds has passed away from respiratory complications.

Meow’s 87-year-old owner left him at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter last month, prompting media attention due to his grossly large size. While an average cat weighs 8-12 pounds,  Meow was a surprising 39 pounds, roughly the equivalent of a 600-pound person.

Since being handed over to the shelter, Meow had lost 2 pounds and was showing significant improvements,until caretakers noticed some breathing problems.

As the week went on, Meow’s symptoms worsened until he was finally admitted to an emergency veterinary hospital. Specialists finally speculated that his obesity “may have set off a string of events that ultimately ended his life.”

“We are devastated,” Mary Martin, the shelter’s executive director said. “We were in a race against time to get the weight off Meow before he developed complications from his morbid obesity and we lost.”

“We all fell in love with him,” Martin also added tearfully.

RIP Meow. Watch some of the original news footage of Meow below.